Hello, Culver City. Welcome to Drought

Ari L. NoonanNews

Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

After the City Council on Monday evening imposed a fresh round of drought-driven restrictions on Culver City, Councilman Andy Weissman questioned whether residents “are fully aware of how serious the water crisis is.

“In large measure, people have not changed their behavior. A lot more education needs to be done to get people to understand what the daily impacts are going to be.”

One potential explanation for the perceived passivity:

In the midst of one of California’s worst droughts, even as county and regional agencies issue orders tightening water usage, there is little overt evidence of impending peril in the urban areas that dominate Southern California.

“When you drive around the community,” said Mr. Weissman, “you still see people watering their lawns with sprinklers.

“You still see people who have not taken steps to prevent overflow.

“We still have a daily urban runoff without rain, water that runs off sidewalks and curbs into the storm drains.”

Mr. Weissman is “not sure” of how to educate the passive who are ignoring what, in Los Angeles County, is not before their eyes.

“We spend a lot of time talking about giving notice and making certain the community is aware of topics that will be coming up at Council meetings,” he said. “Responses to the notifications for elections, for budget hearings and for other important events,” and here he paused, “are not readily apparent. Only a handful are likely to respond by attending Council meetings. Generally they are the same people.

“You grow frustrated,” said the second-term Councilman after 30 years in public life, “trying to figure what it takes to get people involved.”

(To be continued)